In the past two months, Microsoft and Google have been bickering over one central issue: HTML5. The Verge has learned that Google is forcing Microsoft to build its YouTube Windows Phone app in HTML5, despite its own Android and iOS versions using superior native code. Although Microsoft has offered to build ad support along with making other tweaks as Google has requested, a full HTML5 app isn't currently possible on the platform.

The difficult thing here is that Google actually has a very good case; it's their API, their service, their rules. On top of that, YouTube publishers - big and small - need to earn money from advertisements too, and incorrect implementations make that harder. Microsoft's mafia practices regarding patents, extorting companies to pay for Android use even though Microsoft has contributed zero code to Android plays a role too. Lastly, Windows Phone is essentially irrelevant with 3% market share - it's not as if Microsoft ever concerned itself with minority platforms.

Still, all this does is hurt consumers, no matter how few Windows Phone users there are. Just work this out, please, you bunch of children.

That's nice, but back to reality. Microsoft has immense leverage in the enterprise sector that they could flex in order to seriously harm Google and Android's uptake. They currently enjoy the revenue more than they hate the uptake, but it doesn't take much to change that. Look at how Google changed. Google's looking at itself more as a platform than a services company, and that changes their intentions quite a bit.

Its a war of ecosystems, as Nokia CEO Stephen Elop put it, and Google is firing shots with its platform protectionism. Microsoft can do the same.

Its a war of ecosystems, as Nokia CEO Stephen Elop put it, and Google is firing shots with its platform protectionism. Microsoft can do the same.

Yep. It is a war of ecosystems. The difference is that Microsoft can't go into attack mode without hurting their own image beyond acceptable. And the party to win would be a company like IBM, not Google or Microsoft.
You may think that Microsoft has all the power, but in reality they will bend over backwards for more than a handful of their clients.